Time for Germany to overcome Nazi past and join EU’s defense

Infantryman of the Bundeswehr participate in a simulated attack during military exercises last month near Munster, Germany. “Operation Allied Powers” involved an infantry tank battalion, air support and artillery | POLITICO photo-illustration; Photo by Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

Infantryman of the Bundeswehr participate in a simulated attack during military exercises last month near Munster, Germany. “Operation Allied Powers” involved an infantry tank battalion, air support and artillery | POLITICO photo-illustration; Photo by Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

It is time for Germany to step out of the shadow of its Nazi past and take its share of responsibility for international security.

With an assertive Russia flexing its muscles to the east, Islamist terrorism bringing death to Europe’s streets, a U.S. president questioning America’s commitment to NATO, and Britain turning its back on the EU, Berlin must bite the bullet and acknowledge the need for a stronger German military.

The biggest constraints in doing so are not financial or material. They’re political and psychological. Germans can afford to spend more on defense but many of them don’t want it. Three generations after Hitler’s armies wreaked terror across Europe, Germans have gained too much economic and political power to continue hiding behind their understandable aversion to all things military.

Germany’s leadership has already gotten the message. Since Donald Trump’s election, Chancellor Angela Merkel has acknowledged that Europe cannot rely to the same extent on the United States and must instead take its fate into its own hands. As she starts coalition negotiations with the liberal Free Democrats and the Greens, responding to French President Emmanuel Macron’s challenge to build a European intervention force with a common defense budget and a common strategic doctrine should be high on the agenda.

Alarming proportions of German warplanes and helicopters can’t fly, and navy ships don’t sail for lack of maintenance, spare parts and technicians.

NATO, backed by U.S. nuclear weapons, remains best placed to deter Russian power in the east, but the European Union needs its own capacity to counter multiple security threats in the south. France is doing the “dirty work” of fighting Jihadist groups from Mauritania to Chad, mostly alone, while Italy’s military has been crucial to coping with arrivals of boat people in the Mediterranean.

German defense spending has turned a corner since Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea and destabilization of eastern Ukraine prompted Merkel to lead the push for Western sanctions on Moscow. But at 1.22 percent of GDP, even after an 8 percent increase this year, it remains far below the agreed NATO guideline of 2 percent which Berlin has promised to approach by 2024. If spending remains on its current trajectory, there’s no chance the gap will be closed.

A quarter-century of attrition has hollowed out the armed forces. Alarming proportions of German warplanes and helicopters can’t fly, and navy ships don’t sail for lack of maintenance, spare parts and technicians. The Bundeswehr — the German armed forces — has shrunk from 500,000 at the end of the Cold War to fewer than 177,000 soldiers. It has to cannibalize old equipment to keep about 3,000 of them on international duty with the United Nations, NATO and the EU. Training and exercises have suffered from continuous cuts.

Since Donald Trump’s election, Angela Merkel has acknowledged that Germany cannot rely on the U.S. to the same extent as it once did | Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images

Re-equipping the Bundeswehr will take up to 15 years and cost an estimated 130 billion euros.

Europe’s biggest economy has long been the Continent’s weakest link when it comes to military resolve. Opinion polls show Germans support the Bundeswehr’s participation in a dozen international missions, including stabilization and training operations in Afghanistan, Northern Iraq and Mali and a frontline NATO deterrence role in Latvia, but they strongly oppose combat missions. Many don’t think Germany should even come to the defense of a NATO ally attacked by Russia.

Former NATO secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says he had to plead with the chancellor in 2005 to send German reinforcements to the NATO-led stabilization force in Afghanistan, under fire from the Taliban. And even then, she refused to send them to the most dangerous areas. “Merkel told me: ‘You have to understand, we have the Bundeswehr, but the Bundeswehr is not there to fight,’” he told me in an interview.

Germans are right to criticize Western interventions in Iraq and Libya for having focused on short-term military success and neglected the disastrous aftermath. They are right to advocate a comprehensive approach to security problems including conflict prevention, development assistance, institution-building and empowerment of local security forces. But they are wrong to wrap themselves in a moral comfort blanket, parroting “there is no military solution” in all situations. Too often, that has been an excuse for free-riding.

The next government faces crucial choices on how and where to spend additional defense resources. NATO wants it to focus on building up heavy tank divisions to support Eastern allies to counter a possible Russian threat.

Re-equipping the Bundeswehr will take up to 15 years and cost an estimated 130 billion euros | Alexander Körner/Getty Images

This fits most easily into Germany’s legal and political comfort zone but it may address the least likely contingency. France instead wants Berlin to develop light, rapidly deployable forces, airlift and refueling capabilities for more probable expeditionary operations on Europe’s southern periphery. And EU officials are keen for the Germans to prioritize cybersecurity, as well as police and administrative capabilities for conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilization.

If Germany is genuinely worried that a surge in its defense spending could scare its neighbors, it should put some of its extra resources into the planned European Defense Fund for military research and joint arms procurement, to help EU partners get more bang for their euros. No European nation can afford to develop the next generation of weaponry alone. Armaments cooperation, military specialization and integration of European forces are the way forward and are compatible with NATO.

EU defense cooperation has disappointed for so long that it’s easy to be skeptical now, but the stars have never been better aligned to achieve real progress.

Berlin also needs to adapt its institutional set-up to make itself a more effective partner, better able to exercise shared leadership in security and defense. Its strict parliamentary control over the military, highly politicized application of arms export restrictions, rigid annual budgeting and reticent strategic culture are all impediments to European cooperation. But these can all be fixed — given the political will.

Working closely with France — and including Italy, Spain and Poland wherever possible — will be crucial to building a more integrated European defense industry and military capabilities. Berlin and Paris should also try to include Britain, which has Europe’s biggest defense budget, through pragmatic arrangements once it leaves the EU. The U.K. should not be shut out of joint procurement or access to the European Defense Fund.

EU defense cooperation has disappointed for so long that it’s easy to be skeptical now, but the stars have never been better aligned to achieve real progress — but that will only happen if Germany steps up to the plate.

Paul Taylor, is contributing editor at POLITICO, the author of the Europe At Large column, and a senior fellow at Friends of Europe. His latest report for the think-tank: is “Jumping over its shadow: Germany and the future of European defense.”

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Observer

crispin hythe

Europe’s best defense, as for the last 60 years, is the Russian nuclear
deterrent, which prevents the Americans from launching World War 3.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 6:58 AM CET

yospit64

Well written! Europe cannot depend on US under Trump anymore and should rely on itself. I am watching in disbelief what US has become and I am sincerely ashamed to be an American!

Posted on 10/12/17 | 7:37 AM CET

Anna Mosity

Germany won’t spend anything on its own defence or the defence of Europe.
Germany has always reneged on its commitments to NATO (to the tune of 238 BILLION euro). Unlike Poland which has always invested its fair share in NATO. France are also spongers. Far to greedy people, its current day n@azis are in politics. Sucking, grubby little people who only take who rely on sponging from others for their defence… Preferring to build up its trade surplus.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 7:51 AM CET

Alexandre

This would be grave mistake and a first step towards WW3.
Regrettably Germany cannot be trusted with military. Ever.
The best solution would be to have them pay for trhe european defence but not to participate in it. Along the lines the Naxos was treated when it rebelled from Delian League and was defeated. Anybody remembers history lessons? If we don’t we’ll go deep down this mess again.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 8:12 AM CET

Birdman

This has all been said before. But not much thought has been given to Germany’s neighbours, especially the smaller ones, in this article. From a German domestic perspective, a parliamentary controlled army has served as a reasonable control in the past, curbing interventionism. From a European perspective funding the European Defence fund alone isn’t the answer either. And the article smells of ulterior motive.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 8:23 AM CET

fatbob

…..and history will end up repeating itself.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 9:38 AM CET

Ted

If Germany is unwilling to come to the defence of a NATO ally what use are they as members of that organisation? What use are they as members of the EU come to that or the Eurozone? The whole system has been rigged to keep Germans in a nice middle-class bubble of denial.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 9:50 AM CET

Gerhard

We don’t need to increase spending, we need to spend differently. Following US-president Trump’s reprimand and indeed raise defense expenditure would only benefit the arms industry – especially the one in the US, I suppose. Trump gave a terrific example: During the conflict between Saudi-Arabia and Qatar he sold weapons to both sides; he was even boasting about having concluded the biggest arms deal ever in the history of the US: with the radical islamic Whahab regime in Saudi-Arabia.
Europe mustn’t follow the US on the path. More than ever, it needs its own defence structure, within NATO, if feasible, otherwise independently. Schulz, the German Social Democratic leader was right when he objected any increase in military spending. Moreover, he demanded the immediate removal of nuclear weapons from German territory. Merkel was smart enough not to join in on any discussion with Trump – the latter being imperturbably convinced that in such arguments only one person can be right – Donald Trump.
In times when Russia and the US are still competing in the question who would be able to blow up the entire planet more often – just ten times, fifteen times or even more, additional spending is nonsense. As long as their are military threats, reasonable deterrence can be the only answer. For that, we don’t need large stocks of military equipment and weapons which are silently rusting away – as they, thankfully, will not be used and don’t serve any purpose, apart from filling the pockets of weapons manufacturer.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 9:52 AM CET

Katrin3

@Anne Mosity

France already has the biggest army in the EU. After the UK leaves in 18 months time, the France will also have the only nuclear armed defense forces in the EU.

@Observer

Germany has already increased its defense budget by 8%, just this year, and will keep increasing it until 2025. The question is, what will they decide to do with all this extra funding.

The author of this article doesn’t do the math and figure out exactly how much money 2% of German GDP would be per year. It’s billions, every single year. Even the Germans don’t know how to spend that much money on defense every year.

Be careful what you wish for.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 9:53 AM CET

Is the EU one eyed

Don’t agree with all of the US rehtoric but there is something wrong when one country can invest in its own industry- but leave the defence and costs to someone else.

Trump is just saying pay up if you want the insurance. The NATO 2 % is there to support all who signed up to it.

An EU army aside from being a duplication in effort and cost, will be funded by increased budget contributions by other member states – just wait for it.

Transferring the obligation to the EU is way to continue to avoid spending the 2 %.

I also find it odd that the demand is for the UK not to use security and it’s military force as a bargaining chip.

And in the same breath the EU refuse to even discuss Article 50 and the future relationship. Apparently it’s Germany demanding the £78 billion. And blocking progress on 3 impossible demands.

Now why is that.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 9:54 AM CET

Gerhard

@observer: Insane non-liberal, despotic, far-right and nationalist leaders have endowed humany with two World Wars and countless other bloody conflicts.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 9:54 AM CET

Ex Remainer

@ Katrin3

The UK buy heavily from German industries. An increase in defence expenditure may have gone some way towards a reduction in the trade deficit with the UK – defence industry being a big UK investment.

Yes the 2 % spend is billions. The UK pay it. Why can’t everyone else? Germany is sitting on a huge trade surplus to the detriment of everyone else.

History is history and I agree with the author – it’s time to get over it.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 10:04 AM CET

Alan the 2nd

I would rather Germany hit the 0.7% GDP target for international aid first. Shame only the UK of the manor European countries manages this.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 10:19 AM CET

~\_O_/~

@Alan the 2nd
They have – only recently. They are now including the costs of integrating all of those migrants to hit the target. Wonder why we didn’t think of that!

Posted on 10/12/17 | 10:24 AM CET

François P

It is not only Germany that needs to wake up and to get more serious on defence matters.

the tone of this article is sickening.. “Its strict parliamentary control over the military, highly politicized application of arms export restrictions, rigid annual budgeting and reticent strategic culture are all impediments to European cooperation” .. having democratic institutions in control over the military is a good thing. “highly politicized” what does that even mean?! is the bloodthirsty lunatic who wrote this article arguing for more arms exports?! “rigid annual budgeting” …ya.. why not just throw more money away! but my favorite is “reticent strategic culture”, ya.. its a real problem that germans are not as war mongering as they used to be..

oh i forgot something.. if NATO doesn t wanna pay for european “defense” anymore, then leave! a europe without NATO would be safer, not less safe! the US is doing more harm than good in eastern europe anyways

Posted on 10/12/17 | 10:33 AM CET

Charles

@Katrin3

The author states that billions need to be invested to make the existing military functional which will increase maintenance investment. Add to that operating costs and actually putting the military to use instead of leaving it to others will further add to the costs.

Expansion of the military will take decades to even properly begin. Many on here talk about an EU army in terms of buying some kit. That’s like thinking you can buy your child an F1 car and he’ll become world champion. Ridiculously ill-informed.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 10:36 AM CET

Hans Hupp

Europe has for far too long sponged off the good will of others to provide for its protection. Germany in particular has consistently and spectacularly failed to meet its 2% GDP NATO obligation and instead has banked its 238 billion shortfall to produce its balance of payment surplus. The attitude of these greedy people has never changed and never will…

Posted on 10/12/17 | 10:40 AM CET

Anthony Chambers

If the Germans cannot stomach doing their own dirty work, perhaps they should just pay the French 2% of their gdp and they can do the job for them.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 11:05 AM CET

Jack

@Anthony Chambers

That’s essentially what is happening now, minus the paying bit to the other countries (France, Poland, Italy, UK, US etc.)

Posted on 10/12/17 | 11:25 AM CET

Jao

We desperately need a unified EU defense against the Russians in the East and the muslims in the South/South East. It’s not a question if but when there will be war although surely not Russia if our defenses are strong enough. Russia anyway will join the EU (then it will be called the EurasianUnion) in time in a post-Putin era. Both need each other, both have the same mentality and culture. Russia needs assurance against China, the EU needs assurance against muslims.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 11:32 AM CET

Veritas-Semper

And, while they rebuild the Bundeswehr, Germany can start – finally – paying war reparations to Poland.

As they say – “Reparationen Machen Frei”.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 11:45 AM CET

Petre

@Veritas-Semper

Yes as the EU insist with Brexit, withdrawing from old war must be complete before we can begin to prepare for a new one.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 11:50 AM CET

IsNoSmart

The sad state of the Fourth Reich is as follows:
The defense will is the lowest of any EU country. 12% of population is prepared to seize arms and defend their country. The army too is an inventory list of non functional logistics. You can read this e.g. even from MSM http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/how-can-nato-best-address-the-russian-threat-a-1148796.html .
Worse are Russian generals´ estimations on NATOs true military capabilities, if you dare to browse those on the net. Germans turned exactly into what intended, sheeples after 70 years indoctrination to a collective guilt of the Third Reich´s atrocities, although many of them gave their best as humans during the dictatorship. How was it” give me a child for eight years and he will always be a…..”( a Lenin or a whoever quotation). Germany simply cannot build now a credible army based on this hands up pacifism. You may have to send Germans first back to re-education camps, before traditional values start emerging in proportion.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 11:58 AM CET

leskov

The headline writer can’t spell

Posted on 10/12/17 | 12:17 PM CET

Vishnou

Merkel’s past in former East Germany probably encourages her to oppose violence and discrimination and to defend freedom of speech. Who would want Germany to forget about nazism and its dreadful acts? Still, Germany as a whole has to overcome its past, indeed, and accept to invest in EU’s military protection more actively. Macron will probably insist it does so.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 12:58 PM CET

Sam Hawkins

Can someone explain me what it has to do with democracy when some arrogant foreign advicers want to decide about the policy of a country? And strange the Brexiters with their usual cry for “national souverignity” are silent now! Am I smelling a double standard?

Posted on 10/12/17 | 1:33 PM CET

pol

HECK NOOO!!! The last country that should be armed is Germany… remember 2015 and the decision to just open Europe’s boreder? (Not to mention 1939-1945)

Germany is the one country known for its insane snap decisions. Don’t give them guns! They might do something crazy… again

Posted on 10/12/17 | 1:39 PM CET

Roland

I have often argued that Germans should rehabilitate themselves with their Nazi past and reclaim their symbols and culture from them. But even then I doubt Germany will ever be able to muster the resources and create the military deterrence to persuade Russia not to bully/invade Eastern/the rest of Europe. The USA is really the only one that can stand toe to toe with Russia in terms of it’s geo-strategic position and power. European defense even in the most optimistic form won’t be able to (it’s been tried twice in the 20th century with known results),. If the USA retreats you basically accept Russia re-taking it’s positions in Eastern Europe if not right away through outright invasion then certainly over time. The Eastern countries are only looking at the USA as military allies for a reason.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 2:08 PM CET

Birk Müller

It´s insane for Germany and Germans to spend 2% of the GDP into military. That would be around $ 88 billion per year in 2024. It´s more than Russia´s actual spending of $ 68 billion. The solution is to bring together the european (EU) armies and put it under the control of an european defense minister controlled by the european parliament, which should decide about missions and budget, financed by EU taxes. But still the quote of 2% is far to high, from the imortant NATO nations only the US and Great Britain are fulfilling it.

JacquesFR

the headline should be: Time for Germany to overcome Nazi past and make the same mistakes again!
lol.. silly article

Posted on 10/12/17 | 2:34 PM CET

take it for granted

Time for Germany to overcome naSSi time and pay the WW 2 reparations to all the victims of German atrocities.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 3:36 PM CET

Vishnou

@pol: you seem to get stuck in an era that has long gone. AH was not even German. He emerged because the Treaty of Versailles, which was a major insanity, reduced Germany to misery after WWI.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 3:36 PM CET

bony

The earth will forever shuns the offspring of a satanic nation guilty of slaughtering men, women and children, but all chidlren in Gods eyes, in their millions, in the most barbaric butcherizing and disgusting way it is possible to imagine. This nation must NEVER be permitted to inflict its wickedness on societies ever again.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 3:53 PM CET

bony

The world must NEVER permit these offspring of devils who inflicted untold and countless horrors on men, women and children of God in the name of their father to kill and torture societies across the world again.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 3:57 PM CET

No Way

Sounds like a plan.
On the other hand – maybe not.
I never really asked my grandfathers what they did in the war.
As one of them spent time a russian prison for war crimes i’m not entirely sure i want to know. And that is actually a pretty o.k. story for a german family — on average.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 4:23 PM CET

Roland

@Birk Müller Comparing nominal spending says nothing. Russia nominally spends quite a small sum but if you see what they can actually put on the table in terms of capacity it’s much more capable and that is because , like actual GDP there is a difference between nominal and purchasing power parity. Going by what I am reading in terms of nominal/PPP Russia spending $68 billion is actually about $200 billion + they use a lot of draftees so they spend this largely on equipment and R&D and not on wages. They have a huge advantage geo-strategically as well, Again the only country that really measures up to them is the USA. Europe simply lacks this. Also in terms of spending Germany won’t suddenly spend 2% it will be built up over time. You can’t just open a can of trained personnel and equipment.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 5:17 PM CET

Roland

If the writer is correct and the USA would turn away from Europe I think Germany/France will come to some sort of Ribbentrop/Molotov type security pact with Russia and decide to divide Eastern Europe between them. Ukraine will probably be the biggest loser of such a development. I also highly doubt the Visegrad countries will maintain their hostile stance towards Russia given how troubled their relationship with the rest of Europe is. They will likely also want to move in the Russian orbit before they move in a Gernan/French orbit.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 5:28 PM CET

--

–

Posted on 10/12/17 | 6:47 PM CET

-ac

Overcome Na2i past ?!?
What a nonsense – it is just German past. No one heard of any Na2is yet when Germany was committing:
– genocide in Namibia
bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-41596617/namibia-s-reparations-and-germany-s-first-genocide
– or crimes against humanity in Belgium during WWI – known under ‘Rap€ of Belgium’.

Even during WWII signs in occupied Europe read: “Nur fur Deut2che” and not “Nur fur Na2is”. And ‘Arb€it macht fr€i” is in which language by the way ?!?

I don’t think it is safe yet to allow Germans to rebuild their military potential again.
Let them spend 1% of GDP on their defence forces as they do, and additional 1% to meet 2% NATO target they should pay other NATO countries for protection.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 6:50 PM CET

maciekimaciek

Roland
It seems to come very easy for you, to divide many countries and millions of people between Russia and Germany again.
How deeply human, how liberal democratic, how truly EUropean you are!
Are you Russian or German?

Posted on 10/12/17 | 6:58 PM CET

Corni

It appears that EU is up in the air, thank you Mr Trump for waking them up.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 7:38 PM CET

Rubber Duck

Why should we defend Poland against Russia ? Because they are so friendly to us ?

Posted on 10/12/17 | 7:46 PM CET

Rubber Duck

If the Americans think we treat them unjust and do not pay our share, it’s up to them, to retrieve their occupation forces from our country. Most Germans would be delighted, if that would happen (but it will not happen, not in thousand years).

Posted on 10/12/17 | 7:59 PM CET

François P

This article is really a feast for Russian trolls!

Posted on 10/12/17 | 8:16 PM CET

Roland

@maciekimaciek Its not what I want to happen. Its what I think will happen.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 8:57 PM CET

ac

@Rubber Duck
I agree.

Fundamental objective of NATO is to keep:
– Russians out
– Americans in
– and Germans down.

US occupation forces in Germany are essential for those objectives.

Posted on 10/12/17 | 10:34 PM CET

jamesrandom

its time for Europe to get rid of NATO,
and only then develop an army.

as long as NATO exists, it means German soldiers dying for Zio-Neocon-Liberal US interests.

Posted on 10/13/17 | 4:05 AM CET

PB

Europeans won’t spend on defense.

Certainly not the Germans.

They’d rather sponge off the US, preferably while crying about Trump as Rajoy’s goon squad fires rubber bullets at his own citizens.

European hypocrisy knows no depths, which is why European leaders cry crocodile tears for human rights in Turkey, while paying them billions of euros to avoid their own human rights obligations.

Posted on 10/13/17 | 4:34 AM CET

Alex

“This would be grave mistake and a first step towards WW3.
Regrettably Germany cannot be trusted with military. Ever.
The best solution would be to have them pay for trhe european defence but not to participate in it. Along the lines the Naxos was treated when it rebelled from Delian League and was defeated. Anybody remembers history lessons? If we don’t we’ll go deep down this mess again.” Lucky world.
The French won’t have a say in this matter, cause it’s the guy with the money to make the rules. don’t get me wrong. I’m perfectly fine with you getting yourself killed oversees while I stick home taking care of your wifes personal needs. As the saying goes to each his own^^

Alex

Alex

“European hypocrisy knows no depths, which is why European leaders cry crocodile tears for human rights in Turkey, while paying them billions of euros to avoid their own human rights obligations.”

What human rigth obligations? You can claim asylum in the first save country that you get to. I don’t see how that would be Germany or Sweden when there’s like Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and whatever other random country in between.

Posted on 10/13/17 | 10:11 AM CET

maciekimaciek

Whenever you deliberate on a question of withdrawing the US troops from Germany, have a closer look at Germans, e.g. Alex.

Posted on 10/13/17 | 12:14 PM CET

Anna Mosity

@Katrin3

“Germany has already increased its defence budget by 8%, just this year”.

If Germany doesn’t know what to spend it on the give it to France or Poland or some other NATO ally so that they can spend it ‘on Germanys behalf’… Rather than greedily adding it to Germanys ‘balance of payments’…

Posted on 10/13/17 | 1:22 PM CET

Bob

Isn’t Germany’s under-investment in defense really about nothing more profound than not wanting to spend the money when it can rely on someone else to do the job? After all, Canada does pretty much the same thing Germany does, and that’s why Canada does it.

Posted on 10/13/17 | 2:16 PM CET

ac

@maciekimaciek
Still a long way ahead of Germans to overcome Na2i or rather simply German bad past.
I wonder for example when finally they will abandon Na2i regulations still in force like for example Hermann Goring’s decree to deprive Poles in Germany of ‘minority’ status ?
While Germans enjoy that status in Poland without any problems with all the benefits – education in German, German deputies in Polish parliament, etc.

Posted on 10/13/17 | 5:22 PM CET

Giuseppe Marrosu

Europe needs its own army and a sovereign government of its own to control it.
Germany needs to do more, but no single EU country should be deemed necessary or be held responsible if things don’t move.
Europa ein Republik werden muss.

Posted on 10/14/17 | 9:58 AM CET

Scott Chegg

Only Germanys ‘Past’ but not its Present?.

Posted on 10/14/17 | 11:38 AM CET

Rafael

Some Germans must find it very hard to realize and accept that their army is nothing more than a pile of rubbish and not the worth to be called an army.

I actually had the “pleasure” to serve within the German military service in the 90ies and what I saw there, completely destroyed my illusion of the German power. Saying that my experiences “opened” my eyes is a strong understatement. The German army is nothing more than a kindergarden and left me in shock. The attitude of soldiers, the ridiculous rules and standards, the cosy and laughable training and everything around it really made my laught.
With such an army Germany would not even be able to defend itself from the millions of incoming weaponless migrants / refug**s who are coming to Germany in 100thousands every year, toughened through war, atrocities, violance and the endless struggle for survival.
I can only say this. Maybe the Western Europen countries such as France and Germany have better equipment but the morale, the fitness, the toughness of these comfort-loving soldiers is so bad that these soldiers would not even last a week in real battle.

In contrast, Russia, many Eastern European counties and even many Arab countries have much tougher training and a much stronger psychological endurance. These soldiers are accustomed to fight and not surrender, unlike the pu*sy soliders in France or Germany who serve in the army in a way as if the army were just a lucrative employer.
The effectiveness of the infamous French army could be seen during WW2 where they surrenderes almost immediatley without fighting. This even led to the joke that French tanks have 4 gears – 1 forward gear and 3 rearward gears for retreating.

Give me a break guys.
If Germany wants to overcome its Na$i history, it should first finally fulfill its long overdue obligation to pay war reparations to the Eastern European countries, mostly Poland, which it has successfully avoided for so many decades.

Posted on 10/14/17 | 4:43 PM CET

dan

Defense ? Against whom? Us? Globalists? Martians?If you guys think Russia would attack any european country I would question your mental state of mind.

Posted on 10/15/17 | 9:25 PM CET

maciekimaciek

Dan
“If you guys think Russia would attack any european country I would question your mental state of mind.”

First, have a look at Georgia 2008.
Then have a look at Ukraine 2014.

Now feel free to question your mental state of mind.

Posted on 10/16/17 | 4:09 PM CET

ac

@maciekimaciek
What is really scary is that @dan probably is not even a Russian troll but one of brainwashed Western Europeans that constitute large part of Western societies (“German foreign minister slams US sanctions against Russia”,
“Angela Merkel has sharpened Germany’s attack on US plans to toughen American sanctions on Russia.”)
It seems we are at a tipping point – either something changes in the EU or EU is on a fast track to a waste bin of history, sooner than anyone expects.

Posted on 10/17/17 | 11:05 AM CET

Serp

NO thank you Mr Taylor ! Absolutely not interested in this kind of stupidity .

Posted on 10/17/17 | 8:11 PM CET

Chris Saunders

HISTORY leads to a single conclusion…Germany cannot be trusted with military power! end off .
“Those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.”
Winston Churchill